Home on the Range
by chocolatechipp
Summary: Three very different sisters who haven't seen each other in years. A death in the family that finally brings them together. Their father's last wish was...for them to spend a year together taking care of his ranch? Chaos (and romance) ensues...
1. Bad News

Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin. I don't own a car, either. What does that have to do with anything? Who knows!

Greetings and Salutations to all of you!!! This is nessie, aka chocolatechipp, aka Shokora no Sakuhen here with a brand spankin' new story. Hooray!!!

Now, for my _Maiden_ readers, you're probably all steaming right now, with this thought on your mind: "_why the HECK is she starting a new story when it's taking her so FREAKING long to update her old one?_ Well, I simply just could not get this story idea out of my head, and I all ready have an idea of what I'm going to do with it, so some of you guys are just gonna have to DEAL. I'm not forgetting _The Maiden_, I'm simply…writing two stories now. Lets hope it works out, right? 

This is going to be SO different from _The Maiden_; it'll probably be like night and day. I wanted to make this story funny and post it under "Romance and Humor", but…I just don't think I have it in me. I have a hard time being funny on purpose…

Ruri: You can say that again. To put it lightly, her jokes suck.

Nessie: Hold on guys, hold on, I have another one.

Ami: Oh Lord.

Nessie: One time I confused my poodle with a _Dogwood_ tree. Get it? A _Dogwood _tree?

_Absolute silence_

Ami: Someone please put me out of my misery.

So anyway, I hope ate least _some_ of you will enjoy this story. Now I should probably wrap things up. I mean, I bet hardly anyone reads what I write here anyway. So, enjoy the story!!! Tootles!!!!nessie

Oh, and I don't really own a poodle.

_Oh, give me a home…_

_Where the buffalo roam…_

_And the deer and the antelope play!_

_Where seldom is heard,_

_A discouraging word,_

_And the sky is not cloudy all day!_

_ "You're going to be all right, Miss Kaoru," the soothing voice assured her. The small ten-year-old girl nodded, ignoring the searing pain in her left leg. She refused to open her eyes…she didn't want to see what that horse had done to her. Gentle fingers softly brushed sweat-soaked black bangs away from the gash on her forehead. Kaoru could feel the hot Wyoming sun beating down on her and practically baking her as she lay on the open, dusty ground. She knew she shouldn't have ridden that horse, but her dad…he had promised her that it would all be okay. Kaoru felt her teeth clench instinctively. She usually didn't trust her father. Why had today been any different? _

_"Sing softly, sing sweetly, the tabby cat purred,_

_For there's no other way to catch the bluebird. _

_ As that glorious thing flies up high above,_

_Sing softly, sing sweetly, my child, my love." _

_ Kaoru let her eyes drift open and looked up at the face singing down at her. A boy…he looked about her age, maybe a few years older. With striking red hair, yet surprisingly gentle violet eyes. She couldn't make out any other facial features because of the bright glare of the sun. _

_ "What are you singing?" Kaoru managed to whisper, her voice cracked and dry. She wished for cool waters. Kaoru squinted to get a better look at the boy. Was he smiling? _

_ "It's a song my mother used to sing to me when I was scared. Its okay to be scared, Miss Kaoru." The young girl bit her lip. _

_ "I'm not scared." The boy shrugged. _

_ "I didn't think so." Kaoru resisted to urge to say 'yes-you-did' and began to sit up. She was gently pushed back down. _

_ "You're leg is broken. You should stay here and I'll get help." As he began to stand up Kaoru grabbed the boy's wrist and pulled him back down next to her. She waited a few moments before speaking. _

_ "I don't like it out west. When I'm older I'll move to New York City."_

_ "Will you now?" Kaoru didn't like his amused tone. It sounded as if he was making fun of her, or like he didn't believe her. Kaoru nodded confidently. _

_ "I will. I'm going to see Times Square. When I get there I'll send you a postcard, and I'll write that song you just sang on the back. When you get it you have to send me a postcard too. Promise?" The boy hesitated. _

_ "I think you have a concussion, Miss Kaoru. You probably won't even remember any of this." But Kaoru was confident. _

_ "Promise?" _

_ The boy sighed in defeat. _

_ "Fine. I promise." Kaoru smiled and closed her eyes again. She was beginning to feel a little dizzy. _

_ "Now sing me that song again."_

_ "You are a pushy one, Miss Kaoru." Kaoru nodded. She heard that everyday from her father…that liar. _

_ "I know. But please just sing." _

_ "All right." _

_ Kaoru settled in to the sound of his voice. It was calm, protective, and musical as he sang his song just as it advised him: softly and sweetly. And as she felt herself beginning to fall asleep, his comforting voice was the last thing she could hear. That, plus the sound of an…_

ALARM CLOCK?!

Kaoru groaned as she reached out from underneath her blankets and blindly groped for the snooze button. She felt a pang of anger as the loud beeping finally stopped. Her dumb alarm clock, interrupting a perfectly good dream.

A dream that seemed very familiar…and gave her that strange sense of déjà vu…

"Oh, double scratch it," Kaoru mumbled her home made and swung her legs over the side of her bed. She knew in her head she was just going crazy, and that if she didn't get her butt out of bed and dressed she would miss another dull, monotonous day of work at The New York Herald.

What a tragedy.

Kaoru sighed as she fingered through jam-packed clothing drawers for a clean pair of jeans. Work _wasn't _exactly satisfying. She had worked at the newspaper for three years, and her boss (Mr. Hershog) didn't even know her by name yet. Kaoru studied her image in a small, clouded mirror mounted clumsily on her wall. She bit her lip, cocked her head, and smiled, satisfied. Her only friend at work was Suzumi Nato-and she wasn't the best of company these days, to say the least. Suzumi had recently been dumped by her long-term boyfriend (Ted-or was it Todd?), who claimed she was "too boring". The result? A weepy eyed, sniffling, sob-crazy Suzumi who wasn't much fun during lunch hours. Not to mention the receptionist, who Kaoru knew only by "Marla", was out to get her ever since Kaoru _accidentally _dumped a pot of hot coffee on the middle-aged receptionist's new skirt. So Kaoru was reminded every day why it wasn't a good idea to get on the receptionist's bad side.

Kaoru checked her watch and moaned-how was it no matter how early she got up, she always managed to be late for work?

Kaoru rushed through the throb of people moving in what seemed like one motion against her, trying to keep her from making it to work. Unlike life-time residents of NYC, Kaoru had been a girl from the west-and it had taken her a very, very, very long time to get used to the millions of people who lived so close to her. Even now, she had troubles navigating through traffic. But Kaoru knew that she would rather spend a lifetime stuck in a crowded McDonalds with "Marla" than move back to the west. Wyoming held bad memories for her-and a life she had worked so hard to get out of her head.

The cloud was a dark, miserable gray, and the rain dripped down in small, slow little spats. Enough to get you uncomfortably damp, but not enough for an umbrella. Kaoru pulled her long black coat tightly around her as a biting wind whipped around her ankles. She sighed. What a great way to start the day: her mood was so bleak she didn't think coffee would cheer her up. And the tall, bland building with the words "The New York Herald" Carved into it didn't exactly cheer her up. Taking a deep breath, Kaoru pulled open the heavy bronze doors to begin her day at hell-or work.

"Ms. Kamiya, I regret to inform you that you are late _again_ today. This is unacceptable, and I'm sure Mr. Hershog will agree with me." Marla's nasal voice echoed off of the granite walls of the lobby. Kaoru bit her lip. She knew Marla's threats were empty-Mr. Hershog hardly knew she existed.

"I'm sorry, Marla. I slept through my alarm, and-"

"No excuses!" Marla snapped, tapping her abnormally long fingernails against the cold stone counter. Kaoru nodded, trying to not make eye contact.

"Right, of course. No excuses. I'm sorry." Marla nodded stiffly.

"I'll have to inform Human Resources, of course, and we'll just have to wait and see what they plan to do about your…not exactly exemplary time card. Just so you know, Ms. Kamiya, if I were they, I would fire you as fast as I could get the paper work done. Now please, go up to your cubicle and try to get some work done for once. You are dismissed." Kaoru nodded, feeling ashamed and very stupid. As she boarded the elevator, she heard Marla faintly speaking to another late employee about how _of course_ she could overlook the time. Kaoru gritted her teeth, and smiled. _Grin and bear it, girl, grin and bear it!_

As soon as the elevator doors opened to Kaoru's floor, she was bombarded by Shara-the office bimbo.

"Kaoru honey! Listen, I've got to write this article about unwed teenage mothers that's due this afternoon, and I was wondering if you could just-"

"I'm not going to write your report for you, Shara," Kaoru told the blonde, exasperated. Was it just bad memory, or did this happen every single day? Kaoru had a specific dislike for Shara, because the girl had no talent and a better job. Why was this? She and Mr. Hershog had a _private_ relationship going on. Which left Kaoru writing the financial aid articles.

"Oh, Puh-Puh-Puh-Please, Kao-Kao? I just have _no_ idea where to start, and if you could just write down some ideas, I would be soooooo incredibly grateful…please?" Kaoru clenched the pencil in her hand until it broke. She whirled around.

"_Fine_. Fine. But only ideas, promise? I don't want to end up writing the entire thing again, like I did with that article on downloaded music, ok?" Shara nodded solemnly, her ponytail bobbing up and down. After a few paper exchanges and Shara going to get a cup of crappy office coffee, Kaoru set to work answering the pressing financial questions of New Yorkers everywhere.

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Lunchtime. The dreaded two-syllable word, which promised misery and pain and soggy sandwiches. Following normal routine, Kaoru gathered up her wrinkled brown paper bag lunch and headed to human resources, where she would eat lunch with Suzumi. Not something she looked forward to.

But this time when Kaoru made her way down the rows and rows of gray cubicles, she practically fainted when she stopped at Suzumi's. This _was not_ Suzumi Nato, the timid, brown haired, emotional mess that Kaoru had seen yesterday.

No, this was a girl wearing knee-high black platform boots; orange fishnets, a sparkly purple shirt with a white feather boa draped around her shoulders, and spiked purple hair. Kaoru felt her jaw drop.

"Umm…is this…Suzumi Nato's desk?" She asked carefully. To her horror, the stranger in Suzumi's swivel chair whirled around and offered Kaoru a wide, white smile, accented with her lime-green painted lips.

"It was Suzumi Nato's desk. What a change, right? No one, absolutely _no one_, can say I'm boring now. Look at my nails!" Beaming, Suzumi displayed her freakishly long fingernails, painted hot pink. Kaoru didn't know whether to scream and run or cry. Instead, she sat cautiously on Suzumi's desk, and slowly opened her lunch bag.

"How do you type with those on?" Kaoru tried to make small conversation. She had to hand it to Suzumi, she certainly wasn't boring anymore.

"Oh, its difficult, but I manage. All in the name of creativity, right?" She winked, exposing incredibly long, fake blue eyelashes. Kaoru nodded weakly, not knowing what to say.

"I'm planning on going to see Tom tonight-just to show him up. Won't he be surprised when I come looking like this? And if he begs me to come back, do you know what I'm going to tell him, Kaoru?" Kaoru shrugged.

"That he's too boring?" Suzumi's shoulder's slumped, and she frowned, confused.

"Exactly. How did you guess?" Kaoru sighed, and put her arm around her work friend. She didn't know how, but she had to break it to her that she looked like-well, frankly, and idiot.

"Listen, Suzumi, I-" Suzumi quickly cut her off.

"Oh, sorry I forgot to tell you. I got my name officially changed to Kiwi Rainbowflower. Suzumi Nato was just too boring for the new me. So you get to call me Kiwi now! What were you going to say, Kaoru?" Kaoru hesitated, then stood up, crumpled her brown bag into a ball, and threw it out in Suzumi's-or rather, Kiwi's-wastebasket.

"I'm sorry, I'm just not feeling too well. Good luck with Tom."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

As Kaoru packed up her things, she felt the waves of self-pity washing over her. This had been the mother of bad days. Shara had stopped by and gotten on her hands and knees, begging Kaoru to write her article for her. What was she supposed to do? So Kaoru gave in, of course, and dropped it off in Shara's large glass office. Mr. Hershog was there, sitting on her desk, crooning over her while she giggled like a lunatic. Neither of them even noticed she was there.

And now it was back to home through the pouring rain. Kaoru wondered why she forgot to bring an umbrella as she ran with her coat over her head, trying to at least save her hair. This was to no prevail, of course: by the time Kaoru reached the sanctuary that was her apartment complex, she had managed to get herself soaked to the bone (including hair) and covered in mud, since she had the fortune of being right next to a taxi as it slammed into a puddle.

Kaoru slumped up to her room, cringing as her shoes made very odd squishing sounds every time she took a step. Depression washed over her like the downpour she had been stuck in. It wasn't only that she had experienced a day from hell, it was that dawning realization that basically every day ended the same way: Kaoru trudging up to her room half-heartedly, just wanting to fall into the couch and watch the newest Jeopardy.

Tonight, of course, Kaoru had to peel off the wet pieces of fabric clinging to her legs and stomach before she could even think about watching her favorite show. And, of course, there was dinner to prepare. This really filled Kaoru with dread. She hadn't had a decent meal in years, since anything that she touched that was food related seemed to burn to a crisp. To make this horrible procedure easier, Kaoru settled with a simple Lean Cuisine meal, which she yanked out of the freezer and shoved into the microwave. Waiting for her meal to thaw, Kaoru contemplated her latest actions. Was it just her, or did she seem to have a bad case of doormat syndrome? She couldn't seem to tell anyone no, couldn't seem to stand up for herself. This wasn't like her. Kaoru remembered how she was before NYC took over her: stubborn, tough, determined, and opinionated. As her father had once stated, "That girl is like fire. And she's a pain in the ass.".

What had happened to the Kaoru of old?

Had she disappeared forever, or was this new personality temporary?

Would she always suffer from doormat syndrome?

Or, one of these days, would she be able to tell Marla what a _bitch_ she really was?

Kaoru was suddenly torn from her profound thoughts when she realized the Lean Cuisine had blown up.

The once fiery girl swore loudly as she opened the microwave door and was greeted with melted plastic, steaming noodles, and garlic sauce-_everywhere_. With a dejected sigh and slump of her shoulders, Kaoru went to get the used-way-too-often sponge.

And of course, right after the mess had been cleaned up; right after Kaoru had made herself some bread and butter instead; right after Kaoru had settled down to an episode of Jeopardy; the phone rang.

Again with the loud swearing, Kaoru yanked the phone off the hook and practically screamed, "WHAT DO YOU WANT?!?!?!?!?!?"

"Am I speaking with Kaoru Kamiya?" The voice on the other end sounded calm, not at all taken back from Kaoru's shouting. But something wasn't right, didn't feel right. She pulled up a chair and sat down slowly.

"Yes, this is she." Kaoru paused, almost afraid to ask. "What is it?"

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, Miss Kamiya, but I'm afraid…your father has died."

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"Dr. Takani, paging Dr. Takani, you are needed in the E.R _immediately_. Dr. Takani, you are needed in the E.R _immediately._"

"I _know_ already," Megumi Takani muttered under her breath, dropping the apple she had been eating for lunch as she proceeded to run down the loud, bustling hospital hallways, white coat trailing behind her.

"Can't they do _anything_ without my help?" Megumi grumbled as she rounded a corner swiftly. It was no secret that Dr. Megumi Takani, for having just gotten her license to practice, was one of the best doctors Central Jefferson Hospital had to offer. Whenever any of the nurses had free time, they always buzzed about the young doctor: she was only twenty-five years old, and although many of the senior doctors refused to admit it, she was excellent at what she did.

But Megumi never listened to nurse's gossip. She wasn't a strong believer in relationships. When asked why such a lovely, smart girl was single, she often replied (in a not-so-lovely manner), "Relationships interfere with work.". This was also why she had practically no friends.

Megumi told herself that she didn't want a man cooing over her like a fat dove, or any giggly girlfriends to watch chick flicks with. She refused to admit to anyone that the reasoning behind the no-boyfriend-to-speak-of might have gone a little deeper than that…

"What's the problem?" Megumi asked as she stepped into the room filled with doctors and nurses, all rushing about in chaotic panic. A timid, blonde haired nurse looked up with shame in her eyes.

"I gave the patient pain relievers, and…he had an…allergic reaction…" Megumi had started moving after the trembling nurse said "sedatives". Within seconds plastic gloves were on, a hypodermic needle was filled with a tranquilizer, and many of the useless people in the room had been thrown out. With smooth, fluent motions the needle was injected into the underside of the patients arm, and soon the once-thrashing patient was calmed. The quivering nurse smiled shakily.

"Oh, thank you Dr. Takani, I'm so glad you came in time-" she was cut off as Megumi slapped her smartly, leaving a bright red mark. Her eyes welled up with tears.

"That was a _stupid_ mistake that never should have been made," the young doctor snapped. "Empty-headed girls like you should be receptionists, not nurses. Don't make a mistake like this again." She stormed out, leaving the nurse to sob her head off. Heads turned as Megumi stomped down the halls, and the surgeons gave each other looks: Dr. Takani had made yet another nurse cry.

"Did you have to slap her?" Megumi stopped walking when she recognized that old, tired voice, and turned around to face her senior doctor.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Lee, but I had to get my point across" The old doctor shook his head. He was one of the few physicians at CJH that had Megumi's respect, probably because he had proven he had a brain in his head.

"Are you leaving for your camping trip soon?" Megumi asked, picking a piece of dust off of her lab coat. He nodded.

"A week in the Grand Tetons, away from this hospital and away from this rainy weather." He gestured out the window, where it was indeed pouring. "Are you jealous?" This time Megumi shook her head.

"Not at all. The idea of 'roughing it' makes my skin crawl. That's why I moved from Wyoming to Seattle as soon as I could."

"Couldn't stand ranch life?"

"Pretty much. Cows smell, you know." The old doctor 's lips twitched as he fought back a smile.

"I know. Well, I have a patient waiting for me. Try not to make anyone else cry until we've all had lunch, ok?" Megumi wrinkled her nose.

"I can't make any promises!" She shouted to his back. He shrugged it off and continued until he was out of sight.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Megumi smiled as she pressed her keys into the lock of her door. She had been very pleased when she purchased her house, because it was everything she wanted: small, trendy, and clean. After pushing the door open she quickly collected her mail (a few bills), organized them into neat little piles, and started cooking dinner.

Megumi hadn't been lying when she told Dr. Lee she hated the outdoors. Farms and woods didn't appeal to her, and although she could deal with blood and guts any day, bugs and animals were another thing. She wasn't a veterinarian for a reason.

Megumi smiled as she poured herself a glass of Chardonnay. Wine was a simple pleasure she enjoyed, as were bubble baths and expensive chocolates. She quickly cooked up some pasta with low fat garlic sauce and sat down to enjoy her feast.

"I don't mind eating by myself," Megumi spoke into the silence after swallowing a forkful of noodles. "Relationships just get in the way." She nodded to herself to make sure she was certain. _Boyfriends are for people who aren't serious about their careers_, she repeated over and over in her head. _I'm totally ok with being alone. I wanted it this way. _

Looking up for a brief moment, Megumi caught a glimpse of a picture on her mantel. This really made her smile: a picture of her Aunt Haruna, long black hair framing her face, decked out in a Stetson and everything. Haruna Takani had taken Megumi in when she was young, after…the incident. Megumi had dropped the last name of "Kamiya". Why keep the last name of a father she hardly knew? Changing her name to Megumi Takani had been her way of thanking her Aunt. Of course, Megumi hadn't talked to dear Aunt Haruna since she moved to Washington.

_ I'm sure she understands_, Megumi told herself, sipping her wine. _She was the one who encouraged me to move anyway. _ She jumped out of her seat when the phone rang.

"Why do they always call during dinner?" She grumbled, picking up her cordless phone. "Yeah, hello?"

"Hi! Is this Dave's Pizza?"

Megumi swore silently. There was one downside to living in this house. Apparently the number was very similar to a sleazy pizza parlor.

"Yes, this is Dave's Pizza, want to hear our specials? STOP CALLING MY HOUSE!" With that she slammed the phone back in the receiver, already planning what she would do to the next caller asking to order a large pizza with extra cheese. Megumi had never been friendly with pizza lovers, probably because she had to give up cheese for her new diet. The young doctor glanced back at her meal and smiled. Her lifestyle was perfect for her: she wouldn't change it in any way.

Would she?

Megumi bit her lip as the phone rang again. The last thing she wanted to do at the moment was deal with another pizza junkie looking for the infamous Dave. The pepperoni-craving loser might not get their pizza, but they would definitely have a taste of Megumi's wrath. Breathing flames, she grabbed the phone and shoved it to her ear.

"Listen," she hissed dangerously. "My home is _not_ a pizza parlor, and I am definitely _not_ Dave, so LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE!!!" The last part she screamed as loud as she could into the mouthpiece. Panting angrily, Megumi paused to listen to the other end.

"Hello, is this the home of Dr. Megumi Takani?"

Megumi froze.

The voice on the other end sounded like they didn't just hear the doctor screaming about pizzas a second ago. In fact, they sounded very calm.

"Umm, yes. Yes it is. May I ask who is speaking?" Megumi ran a hand through her black hair, collecting herself. _That_ had been embarrassing.

"Of course. This is your father's lawyer, Mr. Oten. I'm afraid I'm the bearer of…rather unfortunate tidings."

Now Megumi was really shell-shocked. Her…_father_? She hadn't seen him in…well; it had to be seventeen years at least. They weren't _exactly _on speaking terms. And what about this lawyer? Megumi scowled. She didn't like lawyers, they were always too eager for malpractice lawsuits. But what news could he be bearing? A surprise family reunion? That would be unfortunate. But Megumi had a feeling that _definitely_ wasn't it.

"Oh," Megumi replied softly. She sat quietly down in her lazy boy recliner, contemplating what to say. "W-what news?"

There was silence on the other end. Then finally…

"Your father has…passed away. I'm so sorry."

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_ I need my pills._

_ I need my pills. _

_ I need my pills._

_I need my pills…_

Misao Makimachi sat up in the dark, stiff as a board. Her head pulsed like a heartbeat, and she was drenched in sweat. The room whirled around her, and Misao instantly shut her eyes, not wanting to see the spinning world in front of her. But it was too late-nausea settled in her stomach, and Misao feared she would lose whatever little she had eaten for dinner last night.

Misao threw her hand out into the darkness, groping blindly for that bottle she knew so well. Finally bumping into it, Misao snatched it up and emptied the remaining two pills into her palm. She then gently took the glass of water she had laid out right next to the pill bottle, threw the pills in her mouth, and swallowed.

Her headache stilled.

The room came to a halt.

Misao smiled.

"Misao, I have breakfast ready! Make sure to dress warmly, its chilly outside!"

"Thank you Mrs. Benner!" Misao shouted, flicking the lights on and hopping out of bed. She instantly went to the shower to wash off the perspiration still sticking to her body. She ignored the dozens of bottles in the bathroom, pretending they weren't there. She would only acknowledge them when she needed them.

Misao quickly grabbed a pair of worn jeans and a too-large white tee shirt. She would put on a coat later, but now she took two pills from a bottle with a red label and carefully placed them in her pocket. She looked longingly back at the empty medicine bottle on her night side table as she braided her hair into one long, thin cord-she would have to get the container refilled before the next morning.

Misao couldn't remember when exactly she started having her…problems. Maybe it was around ten years old, give or take a year. She developed headaches, often got dizzy and fainted. At first, the headaches were hardly noticeable and went away quickly, and she fainted very rarely. But then they grew. Her Grandparents, who had raised her ever since the…incident, began finding her out cold on the floor in the mornings. Her headaches often kept Misao out of school for days at a time.

Then the anxiety attacks started.

Misao would wake up in the middle of the night, sweating, nauseated, and confused. She would cry and scream, and when her Grandparents asked her what was wrong, Misao could only speak in hysterical half-sentences. It took hours to get her back to normal.

The elderly Makimachi couple was more than concerned. They took Misao to the doctor immediately. Her prescribed an ocean of pills and tablets, capsules and syrups.

They worked.

"Misao dear, you have to hurry! You're going to be late for your classes!" Mrs. Benner called from downstairs, startling Misao from her thoughts. She smiled and grabbed her knapsack and her navy blue fleece, and bounded down the stairs of her "landlady". She greeted the elderly woman cheerfully, and sat down to a breakfast of chocolatechipp pancakes.

"Here's some milk to wash those hotcakes down," Mrs. Benner handed the cup to the girl renting her guest room. When Misao told her Grandparents she wanted become a photographer and take art classes in Santa Fe, they had arranged for Mrs. Benner, a trained nurse in mental health. It worked out well.

Misao headed for the door, zipping up her jacket, when she remembered the pill canister on her night side table. Taking a deep breath, the seventeen-year-old turned around.

"Mrs. Benner, I forgot…I need to get my morning pill bottle refilled." The old woman arched an eyebrow.

"Misao…you know how I feel about you and those pills. You're becoming…too reliant."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Misao shouted angrily.

"Well…there's no easy way to say this…" Mrs. Benner paused, as if she were desperately trying to think of a way. "Misao, the problems you had when you were younger are probably close to being totally healed. If you gave it a chance you could stop them for good, but you're so _used_ to being sick…you're so _used_ to taking the pills that-"

"That's…that's total crap!" Misao yelled, the word tasting foreign on her tongue. Being raised by her grandparents meant no cursing whatsoever. "I want to stop taking the pills. I _HATE_ them! I can't _stand_ them! If I could stop, I would!" Mrs. Benner shook her head.

"You only think that. The problems are in your head, Misao."

"OF COURSE THEY'RE IN MY HEAD!" Misao cried, frustrated. "I'M MENTALLY ILL!" Mrs. Benner was silent, thinking it over. Misao realized she had squeezed her small hands into fists so tight her knuckles were white.

"I'll renew your prescription," Mrs. Benner finally said. Misao sighed with relief. "But please think over what I've said. I won't renew the medicine anymore. You've got to wean yourself off of them, Misao. Now you had better go or you won't catch up with Okon and Omasu." She turned, not wanting any more arguments. Misao's mouth opened as she prepared to start up again, but mentioning her friends Okon and Omasu made Misao remember she had art classes to take. With a sigh of defeat, the stubborn girl ran out of the house to meet up with the twin sisters waiting for her up the road.

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"I have sooooooo much homework," Okon groaned as she sipped a low-fat latte. "And I have to write an essay on the metaphorical value of Monet's paintings for Art Evaluation. I'm going to be up all night." Misao shook her head.

"Its not the art classes that annoy me." Misao paused to take a giant slurp from her mug of hot chocolate. "It's the other mandatory classes. Algebra. English. _Biology._" Misao spat the last word out like it was poison. "Those are the real pains. The art stuff is fine."

"Yeah, and what do you know?" Omasu teased. "We take you to a fancy coffee shop and you order hot chocolate with extra marshmallows. You're such a baby." Misao stuck out her bottom lip.

"Don't call me that! Besides, coffee grosses me out and you _both_ know it. I'm not giving up my chocolate and marshmallows just because you guys think I'm childish." The twin girls gave each other looks.

"What?" Misao asked, glancing at each girl. "Why are you guys giving each other those weird looks?"

"Misao," Okon began. "When one looks up the word childish in the dictionary, one can find your picture right next to the definition."

"That goes for stubborn, too," Omasu added helpfully.

"And headstrong."

"And loud."

"Don't forget rambunctious."

"Oh, and-"

"Ok, I get it, I get it!" Misao held her hands up in defeat. "I know what you guys are getting at. Obviously, I'm very famous to have people wanting to put my picture all over the dictionary, or else-" Immediately Misao was pelted with plastic straws. The threesome laughed heartily and continued drinking their beverages and talking about school.

"Whoa, its late. I've gotta go, sorry you guys. Have to get a head start on all that lovely homework, right Okon?" Her friend nodded, smiling. "I'll see you tomorrow, bye!"

Misao bit her lip as she jogged home. She didn't want to have to argue with Mrs. Benner again (the lady had been more than hospitable), but there was no way they could eat dinner together without bringing up the subject again. And Misao refused to back down. She knew that she couldn't survive without those pills, no matter what that old nurse said.

Misao finally turned onto her street, waving to a few people she knew. This made her feel a bit better; Misao was comfortable with familiarity. She liked routines, and she didn't like change. That's why moving to New Mexico had been such a big step.

Misao slowed upon seeing Mrs. Benner's house, wanting to delay going inside for as long as possible. She tried not to think about the pills, or the elderly woman she had yelled at that morning. Instead, she went back to an argument with Omasu early that morning. It had been something about Jinko Aida, an actor Misao had denied having a crush on. But the truth was Misao did find him appealing. She yawned loudly, not bothering to try and be quiet. It was just that in all of his movies he seemed so…tough. As much as she told everyone she liked being independent, Misao couldn't resist a strong guy. Hey, was it so bad if she wanted to be protected?

The young girl sighed as she climbed the patio steps up to Mrs. Benner's front door. She couldn't put it off any longer; she was just going to have to deal with it.

"I'm home!" Misao called as she opened the door. The house was strangely quiet, except for the sound of Mrs. Benner talking quietly with someone on the phone. Misao scrunched her face up in thought. Her intuition was telling her something wasn't right. Of course, her intuition had also told her the guy she hooked Okon up with on a blind date was single, when in fact he actually had a boyfriend. That hadn't turned out too well.

"Mrs. Benner?" Misao asked quietly as she entered the kitchen. "Is something wrong? Who are you talking to?" The old woman looked up quickly and, after seeing Misao, held the phone up to her nose.

"Its for you," the landlady explained briefly. "I think you should sit down, Misao." Misao looked up in confusion, but took the phone without question.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Miss Misao Makimachi?"

"Yes…" Misao replied warily, cautious of how the male voice had addressed her so formally.

"I'm sorry to say I bring bad news for you, Miss Makimachi." Misao's eyes widened. Bad news? Had Pops fallen down the stairs again and broken his hip? Did Nana need her to come back home? Misao hoped not, not only because she didn't want her Grandparents hurt, but because she had gotten so used to life in Santa Fe.

"Is it my family? Has something happened to someone in my family?" Misao asked desperately, grasping the cord on the phone. "Is someone hurt?"

"Well, yes, Miss Makimachi-" Misao gasped, cutting off whoever was calling her with this "bad news". She practically ripped the cord off as she began pacing.

"Oh God, if Pops fell down the stairs you can tell Nana there is no need to worry, I'll help them out if it means I have to drop all my classes because-"

"Nothing has happened to your Grandparents, Miss Makimachi. Its your father." Misao stopped pacing. She let the twisted electrical cord drop from her small fingers. Her _father_? What had possibly happened to her _father_? Had the old fart been kicked in the head by one of his prized horses or something?

"My dad? What could have possibly happened to him?" Misao asked, disbelieving and full of doubt. She barely remembered her father at all, and had only seen pictures of him. This made him seem like a legend in her mind, or like someone who was always there and who would never go away, but someone who she would never see. Her Grandparents had tried to convince him to come and visit his youngest daughter, but after his fifth refusal Nana and Pops had gone and officially changed Misao Kamiya to Misao Makimachi. She had heard stories of his greed and his stone heart, but hearing he might be heart just felt too surreal to deal with. Misao held her breath; hardly expecting what was to come next.

"I'm afraid your father has…passed on. Please accept my condolences."

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YAHOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!! There goes the ending of the first chapter, and the beginning of a new story. How do you like it so far? I appreciate all reviews (_really_ appreciate them…hint hint); so if you think its crap, feel free to tell me!!! There is freedom of speech, you know!!!! But you might want to break it to me softly, because I can get a tad bit emotional.

For those of you who are practically screaming for another _Maiden_ chapter, it is coming, it is coming. Of course, I might actually just be hoping some of you are begging for another chapter of my story, probably because I have such a freakish need to be liked. It even annoys the heck out of me.

Anyway, I'll properly introduce the ever faithful Ami and Ruri to all you newbies in the next chapter. For all of you loyal readers, you'll just have to suffer through more of our meaningless banters : )

In closing, I'll just remind you all that I REALLY APPRECIATE ALL REVIEWS, NO MATTER HOW SMALL OR WEIRD. I can't stress it enough!!! Well, ok, maybe I can, because I bet whoever is reading this is probably rolling their eyes and thinking, _Yeah, ok psycho, I get the whole "you want me to review" thing, you don't have to treat me like I have no brain cells_. So I'll stop (thank gawd), and I hope to see you all next time! Sayonara!

Tootles!!!!nessie


	2. Life's Tough

Disclaimer: Of course I own Rurouni Kenshin. That's why I'm dirt poor. Makes perfect sense.

Hi, hello, its nessie again, here to annoy the heck out of you. Now, can I make a confession? I'm extremely nervous about this story. Yes, that's right, _nervous_. I wasn't nervous with _The Maiden_. But…can I really pull this off? I'm starting to worry…especially since I have this nagging feeling that no one actually likes this story so far…

But now back to the nessie we all know and love! Umm…yeah. Anyway, I want to respond to some of the reviews I especially liked. Here ya go:

**SamuraiX Koneko:** I totally agree with you 

**Nigihayami Haruko: **Wow, your name is very long and complicated (but very cool). It took me three times writing it to actually spell it right. But anyway, your review was so nice I just had to say thank you. So….thanks!

**Kean: **Your name, on the other hand, is very short and easy to spell. Your review was the perfect example of kind criticism: you told me what you liked and what you didn't like, and I appreciate it. Of course, I love getting reviews that tell me how much they love me (hehehe), but I like any response, really. Thanks for reviewing!

Now, just for one thing. **PLEASE READ THIS**, **EVEN IF YOU NEVER READ ANYTHING I WRITE HERE**Ok. This isn't that important, but I just wanted to say that from now on at the end of each chapter I'm going to have, like, a short thing saying what will happen in the next chapter (just a skeleton, of course). So, since I missed the last chapter, umm, here is the summary-subtle hints-skeleton thingie for _this_ chapter: **In this chapter, Kaoru "bumps" into a familiar stranger, Misao decides ice blue is her favorite color, Megumi remembers why she hasn't kept in touch with her sisters, and all three realize how much of an ass their father can still be from the grave. **

_She calls to speak to me…_

_I freeze immediately…_

'_Cause what she says sounds so unreal._

_And somehow I can't believe_

_That anything should happen._

_I know where I belong,_

_And nothing's gonna happen._

_'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''  
_

_"Miss Takani?"_

_Megumi's head snapped up, meeting her professor's stare. She had been daydreaming, and not listening to a thing he had been saying. _

_"Yes?" _

_"I'd like to see you after class to discuss your paper." Megumi felt her heart sink into her stomach. Crap. Major crap. _

_"Of course." Megumi bit her lip as she quickly caught up with the notes the class had been taking. She refused to show how disappointed and panicky she was. Her young teacher had earned her respect on the first day of classes, proving to everyone taking his class that even though he was young he knew what he was talking about and had the right to be there. Megumi knew that if anyone could find a mistake in her paper, he could. _

_Megumi was so busy going over the situation fifty times in her head that she didn't realize class was over until everyone around her stood up and gathered their books. Megumi stood up slowly, feeling like she was in molasses. She glanced down at her professor, sitting at his desk, reading a newspaper, waiting for her. He was wearing his reading glasses again, which Megumi thought made him look intelligent. Most college girls thought they made him look cuter than he all ready (apparently) was. Megumi sighed._

_Well, here goes nothing. She held her head up high as she gracefully glided up to his desk. He didn't glance up. _

_Megumi cleared her throat. _

_Her professor didn't move. _

_Megumi narrowed her eyes. Was that a small smile on his lips? She quietly tapped her foot, becoming frustrated. He turned the page of his newspaper. _

_"Professor?" Megumi growled out through clenched teeth. He looked up. _

_"Yes, Miss Takani?" Megumi closed her eyes, asking for all the patience in the world. She didn't want to blow up at her college professor. _

_"You wanted to talk about my paper, sir." _

_"Oh yes, that's right. Megumi, we have a problem on our hands. I don't know if you've noticed it, but I certainly have." Her teacher stood up and rummaged through his desk, finally producing the paper. Megumi craned her neck to get a good look at it, searching for red marks (a tell-tale sign her paper was a failure). _

_There were none. Megumi looked up, confused and not a little frustrated. _

_"What's wrong with my paper, professor?" Megumi asked slowly. The respect she had for the man was quickly dwindling. Did she have to torture him to get it out? _

_"The problem, Miss Takani, is…nothing." Megumi looked at him blankly. _

_"Nothing?"_

_"Nothing. There is absolutely nothing wrong with your paper. It's probably the only perfect paper I have ever graded, in my entire career. All of your work is perfect, Megumi. And I've talked with your teachers, and I've gotten the same thing from them. Apparently, you work extremely hard, Miss Takani." _

_"Well, thank you." Megumi smiled._

_"And that's the problem." The smile vanished. _

_"I don't understand. You said yourself that my work-" _

_"Is perfect, yes I know. That's the problem. It's too perfect." Megumi's eyes suddenly widened. _

_"Do you think I'm cheating? I promise you, I'd never-" _

_"That's not what I think, Miss Takani. I think you're working too hard. College is the time to experience new things, to take risks, and have a little fun. If you produce work this good, you've got to be doing nothing else. Do you ever go to parties, Megumi?" The college student felt her face heat up, but whether it was in anger or embarrassment, she didn't know. _

_"I don't see why it's any of **your **business," Megumi hissed, finally letting out all of her anger and frustration. "I work hard because I want to get somewhere, and I don't see why you had to keep me after class to tell me it's a problem that I like doing my work well. I think it's completely out of line, especially with you standing there judging me like you have the right to. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to leave." Megumi turned on her heels, all prepared to stomp out of there and slam the door, when something happened that she didn't expect. _

_Her professor grabbed her arm, turned her around, and kissed her._

_'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''  
_

"Ashes to ashes, dust to dust…" The preacher droned on, placing some of the funeral attendees in dreamland. Kaoru herself crossed and uncrossed her ankles for the fifth time since the funeral had started. She wondered if her father would have actually liked his service.

_Well, there are pros and cons_, Kaoru bitterly thought to herself. _Con: its extremely boring. Pro: its not making anyone else very happy, either_. She knew her father would take pleasure in that.

Finally giving up on trying to pay attention to the sermon, Kaoru glanced around at the snoring people beside her. It was strange to see her old neighbors clad in black, her fathers friends actually looking rather teary eyed. She searched through the crowd, not sure what she was looking for, when…there she was.

Kaoru instantly felt her heart skip a few beats. She wasn't stupid; she remembered the photo she had tucked away at home. That small, skinny girl was unmistakably Misao-her younger sister.

The girl looked rather nervous, and sort of jumpy. She was all decked out in a black skirt ending right below her knees in lace, and a black turtleneck. _Very conservative_, Kaoru mused, suddenly feeling very conscious of her bare shoulders. She studied her younger sister (the words sounded so strange) carefully, noting the way she sat, like she was impatient; and the mischevious look in her eyes.

_You can't pick any of that up in an old photo_, Kaoru thought, her thoughts turning back to her father.

"_Why do you need to know your sisters? They aren't that great anyway. All you need are these photos. Looks are all you need to care about_."

What a bastard.

Kaoru moved her intense stare away from Misao. If her younger sister was attending the funeral, she didn't see any reason why her older sister wouldn't be there. Kaoru stopped at the second to last row, and frowned. That _had_ to be Megumi. She had the same hair, and the same facial features, but something was definitely different. Kaoru pondered the right word for it…perhaps…tougher? The carefree spirit she had in her photograph was definitely not there. Neither was that simple innocence that seemed all so evident in Misao. She sat up straight as a board, her face unemotional, but her eyes flashed dangerously, daring anyone to look at her. For a moment Kaoru felt the desire to know what happened…but then she shrugged it off. It wasn't her business to ask.

"…is survived by daughters Kaoru, Megumi, and Misao…" Kaoru snapped to attention when she heard her name being said. She felt eyes on her, and immediately blushed. She didn't want anyone judging her just because she was related to _him_. She knew half of the people at the funeral hated her father.

She also knew she was one of them.

Kaoru shivered as a cold, damp breeze raised goose-bumps on her arms. She cursed herself for wearing a top that didn't cover her shoulders, and she cursed her father for wanting his funeral outside in his hills. She glanced up at the gray sky, threatening to erupt into downpour at any given moment. What a great day for an outdoors funeral.

"…And so we say our final goodbyes to Gakuto Kamiya, a…loving father and a...devoted…husband," The pastor finished off lamely. Everyone, even her father's friends, rolled their eyes at that. That was one bad attempt to end the funeral of a guy everyone loved to hate. Anyone who knew the jack-ass also knew that he hadn't seen his two daughters in a decade, and that Kaoru had practically ran away from him the moment she could. And they could all attest to the fact that Gakuto was most definitely _not_ a devoted husband.

Kaoru sighed and rose from her seat, brushing some imaginary dust off of her pants. With one last look at the expensive black coffin (of course her father would say that he wanted his "loved ones" to buy the costliest casket they could find), Kaoru headed back to the house for refreshments and the reading of the will.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Megumi sipped a glass of red wine as she stood near the fireplace. Several of the townspeople had come up to her to try and start conversation, but after only a few words with the oldest Kamiya daughter most everyone decided to stay away. Megumi smiled triumphantly. She had made it clear to everyone that she wasn't there by choice. That lawyer (Megumi shuddered) had told her her attendance was required, because apparently the old coot had something important in his will.

_For all the trouble he's caused us, it had better be a million dollars_, Megumi thought harshly, taking another large sip of her wine. _But even then I don't know if that would make up for it all_.

She had all ready spotted her two sisters, and stayed far away. Why should she have to get to know them? After this whole ordeal was done Megumi planned on buying the earliest ticket back to Washington, away from her past.

Looking around, Megumi had spotted people she vaguely remembered from her youth. This was understandable; she lived most of her life in Cheyenne with her Aunt Haruna. Megumi was happy to know that basically no one around here recognized her. She felt like she had generally accomplished something, when…

"Are…are you Megumi Takani?" An excited voice asked. Megumi felt her stomach coil up into knots as she turned to face whoever it was talking to her.

"Yes…" Megumi answered slowly. "Dr. Megumi Takani." Her younger sister's eyes widened in awe.

"Doctor Megumi? I never even knew! Well, I've never really met you or anything, but I remembered what you looked like from this picture Nana gave me. It was kind of beat up, and you looked a lot different, but I could tell it was you. I'm Misao Makimachi, by the way. Your sister." The skinny thing shoved her hand in Megumi's face, smiling widely. Megumi took it and shook it like it was a diseased animal.

"I know," Megumi replied stiffly, aware that Misao would not let go of her hand.

"Well, I don't exactly know how to go about the whole 'sister' thing, but I'm sure I could give it a try, and if I fail I could just try some more, and if I fail again I could jus-" Misao cut herself off as she caught something out of the corner of her eyes. Quickly dropping her older sister's hand, Misao turned quickly to gape at the man who had just walked by.

She swear she stopped breathing. For a second, Misao wondered if she was still on Earth. That man…what was it about him? As if sensing her eyes upon him, he turned around. Now Misao really could not tell whether or not her heart was still working.

His eyes were so cold, and of such a clear blue. Misao felt like she was floating away, and was dangerously close to losing herself. Everything else seemed to fade away, except for his face. Nothing else mattered. _Nothing else matters…_

"Umm…Misao?" Megumi asked carefully, looking at the chatterbox who had only a few seconds ago been yapping her little head off. What was going on? She cautiously touched the small girl's shoulder. "Misao?"

"Nothing else matters…" Misao muttered sleepily. Then, much to Megumi's horror, she fainted in her older sister's arms.

**>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> **

"Oh Kaoru, dear, you know we're only here to support you…it must be so hard for you, with all of the expenses you must be paying," an elderly neighbor crooned. Kaoru nodded absently, secretly thinking of a way to escape.

"And don't worry, we all understand why you left, so you shouldn't have any guilty feelings at all…" her husband assured her, nodding seriously. Kaoru bit her lip. _I don't_, she wanted to scream. _And its not like he even gave a shit! _

"Listen," she said instead, trying to smile like what they were saying was actually comforting her. "I just need some…time alone. To think about everything that's happening, you know?"

"Oh yes," the neighbors chorused somberly. "You take all the time you need, sweetie," the old woman added. Kaoru nodded gratefully, but as she left she wondered if she was going to puke.

_It's exactly like it used to be,_ Kaoru thought as she power-walked through the rooms, dodging guests and well-wishers. _He didn't change anything_. Was she happy about that, or did it just make her stomach coil into tighter knots?

_I have to get away from here_, Kaoru told herself frantically. She had a horrid feeling that if she stayed near that house for one more second she would throw up all of the cheese and crackers she had just eaten. Feeling positive that this was the right thing to do, Kaoru made a beeline for the front doors, forgetting completely how wet and cold it was outside.

With each step that led her farther away from the house, Kaoru got the urgent sensation that she needed to go farther, and faster. After ten steps away from the house Kaoru was sprinting away from that house, through the chilly breezes and drizzling rain splattering in her face. _Just keep running_, Kaoru told herself. _Keep running away from there_. Kaoru closed her eyes, beginning to enjoy the wind on her face. She sighed, opening her eyes again, and had just enough time to see a blur of red hair before she crashed into an innocent man carrying a bucket of cold water.

The pair must have rolled over a few times before movement finally slowed, and Kaoru found herself covered in the water that was, needless said, not in the bucket anymore.

It took her a few moments to realize she was on top of the man she had so recklessly slammed into; her cheek resting against his chest.

"Oh shit," Kaoru swore, not even trying to use her homemade curse word. She struggled to sit up, but her muscles protested it, so instead she just lifted her head to look him in the eye. "I'm so sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going and I just-" She froze.

His eyes were the most beautiful, intense, raw golden color she had ever seen.

Kaoru felt her breaths quicken. Here she was, her hair falling in limp wet strands, sprawled across a complete stranger. A complete stranger who seemed to be smirking at her. A complete stranger who tucking some of her hair behind her ear. A complete stranger who was wrapping his arms around her, and pulling her closer to him…

"W-what are you d-doing?" Kaoru managed to squeak. Her heart thundered in her chest. _Why is it I can't seem to breathe?_

Kaoru watched him as he blinked, and instantly those fierce, burning eyes had been replaced with violet, gentler and kind. Instantly a blush heated up his cheeks and he quickly let go of her.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what I was thinking. Are you all right?" Kaoru looked up at the strange man as he offered her his hand, to help her up. Kaoru studied it for a few moments, thinking. _Can I really trust him after what just happened? _But after that tumble Kaoru highly doubted her ability to bend her knees, so she took the hand warily.

"Oh, um, yes…I'm fine. Just…wet. I'm sorry, I wasn't really watching where I was going…" Kaoru trailed off, not really knowing what to say. _Tell him your name, stupid!_ One side of her argued. _Are you a complete moron?_ Her other side screamed. _This man practically just violated you! If you tell him your name he could find you and…_

_Oh, double scratch it_, Kaoru finally decided crossly. _Those things only happen in the movies_. She stuck out her hand for him to shake.

"I'm Kaoru Kamiya, by the way. Daughter of the…umm…yeah. Kaoru Kamiya." He smiled, and took her hand. Kaoru tried not to focus on how strong his hand felt, enveloping her own.

"I'm Kenshin Himura. Your dad talked about you all the time."

"Did he really," Kaoru replied dryly. She didn't want to think about what he probably said. "So I take it you work here? On the ranch?"

"That's right. I was hired right after you left." Kaoru smiled slightly.

"That's a shame. You were a little bit too late, you just missed me then." She gave a small laugh, but then immediately stopped when she realized Kenshin wasn't laughing with her. He seemed to be…staring off into the fields.

"I _was_ too late," he murmured. Kaoru shifted from foot to foot, starting to feel uncomfortable. Kenshin Himura was starting to scare her a little. But then he brightened up and smiled. Kaoru smiled back, brighter this time. Reassured; she started up again.

"So, what work do you do? On the ranch, I mean." Kenshin shook his head.

"It doesn't matter, Miss Kaoru, it probably wouldn't interest you."

"No, you wouldn't know that for sure unless you told me," Kaoru protested. Kenshin sighed.

"You are a pushy one, Miss Kaoru." Kaoru froze. Where had she heard those words before? They sounded so familiar. "I work with horses."

Now Kaoru's eyes widened. Horses…that had to be her one irrational fear. She bit her lip, trying not to show him what she really thought of his work.

"You shouldn't be afraid of them."

"What?" Kaoru looked up, startled. "What did you say?"

"You shouldn't be afraid of horses, Miss Kaoru. You shouldn't judge a creature because of one bad childhood experience." Kaoru felt a jolt through her body as she whirled around, not realizing she was inches away from Kenshin's face.

"How do you know about that?" Kaoru demanded. For a moment she thought back to that day. All she could remember was being bucked off of that horse, and waking up a day later, not knowing how she was still breathing. "Everything about you seems…eerie. Like we've met before." Kaoru paused. "Have we met before?" Kenshin shrugged casually.

"I doubt it. Like I said, I was hired right after you left. And I knew about…the accident with the horse because…your father talked about it once." Kaoru instantly felt her hand fly up to her forehead, her small fingers tracing the fading scar hidden by her bangs. She nodded though; this seemed plausible. More so than having met this stranger before.

"That makes sense. I can just picture him telling the whole world about it, twisting the words around so it wouldn't seem like his fault. It _was_ his fault, you know," Kaoru pointed out. "He was the one who made me get on that brute. So don't believe anything he told you. My father was a liar."

"You say this on the day of his funeral," Kenshin said, looking partly disbelieving and partly in awe. "Don't you have any feelings of sadness? He's dead, you know. You won't ever see him again."

"Good," Kaoru snapped, beginning to wonder why she was talking about this with a complete stranger. "I left home because I didn't _want_ to see him again. He did…a lot of bad things. Just because he's dead doesn't mean I suddenly love him. If the only way I could feel love for that _man _is his death, then that would be pretty pathetic, don't you think?" Kenshin was quiet, and for a moment Kaoru hoped he was done speaking. But she was wrong.

"You should go back," Kenshin told her softly. He placed a hand on her arm, and suddenly Kaoru realized how close they were. "Back to the…gathering."

"Should I, now?" Kaoru shot back. "Why? Why do I have to go back and talk to those people? They make it seem like I should feel guilty. _You_ make it seem like I should feel guilty. I don't feel guilty, so why should I have to go back and chat?" Kenshin's hand tightened around her arm, and Kaoru began to feel slight pain shooting up to her shoulder.

"If not to talk to your former friends and neighbors who have driven _miles _to try and comfort you, then to at least become acquainted with your sisters. You never _really_ knew them, and if you don't go and talk to them-"

"Why do _I_ have to be the one to talk?" Kaoru shouted, stepping back out of Kenshin's grip and rubbing her arm. "They didn't come up to _me_, so why should _I _have to go to-"

"Because it's the right thing to do, dammit!" Kenshin was shouting as well, and suddenly it began to dawn on Kaoru what she was doing. Arguing with a complete stranger. She took a deep breath to calm herself, and met Kenshin's unnerving stare.

"Look," she began. "I just met you, and I don't want to get off on the wrong foot. But my point is that I'll be leaving for New York again very soon, and my life will go back to the way it was. I don't really want anything to change, and I'm sure _they_ don't either. So it'll just be easier this way if we don't…talk. Or anything like that. But listen to this: I don't know how you know so much about me, and I have no clue why you have such an opinion about what I should be doing, but I do know that I'm not just a little scared. It's been nice talking to you." Kaoru turned, pausing for a moment to collect herself. She didn't know why she was so broken up over a complete _stranger_. Then, after taking a few deep breaths, she started back for the house.

And stopped.

Kenshin was singing.

"_Sing softly, sing sweetly, the tabby cat purred,_

_For there's no other way to catch the bluebird._

_As that glorious thing flies up high above,_

_Sing softly, sing sweetly, my child, my love." _

Kaoru listened for a few moments, before continuing her walk back to the house. His voice sounded beautiful to her: not flawless, but real. Cautiously, she began humming the melody softly. It didn't sound the same, much to Kaoru's disappointment. She sighed.

That song had sounded awfully familiar…

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The silence was, as some would say, deafening.

Kaoru shifted in her seat, glancing around nervously. Her father's study certainly hadn't changed; the same dark oak finish, with the big brown desk with a state-of-the-art computer, all of this in front of a massive leather computer chair. Kaoru snuck a look in Megumi's direction, who was seated over on a leather couch (her father believed in cattle). Megumi didn't look uncomfortable at all. In fact, she had taken an intelligent-looking book and was now paging through it. Misao had found a deck of cards, and was now trying (unsuccessfully) to build a card castle. Both didn't seem to notice that there were other people in the room.

_At least become acquainted with your sisters…if you don't go and talk to them…_

_Because it's the right thing to do, dammit!_

Kaoru bit her bottom lip. She really didn't want to, but she was feeling so awkward…Kaoru opened her mouth.

"I-"

"Sorry I'm late!" A cheerful voice called as the door to the study slammed shut. A young, cheerful looking man came in, dressed up in suit-and-tie gear and carrying a professional looking black briefcase. "Mr. Oten's wife has gone into labor, so unfortunately he couldn't make it. I'm Soujiro Seta, replacement lawyer, I'm just as good, blah blah blah. Lets get on with the reading of the will, shall we? I believe Mr. Kamiya left rather…_specific_ directions for all three of you."

If any of the three girls were startled because of his casualness, they didn't show it. _I just want to get this over with_, Kaoru thought.

_I want to go home_, Megumi repeated over and over again in her mind.

_I want to see that blue-eyes guy again. _Misao grinned. _Oh, but I also want to get back to my classes. _

"So, lets begin." Soujiro preceded to set his briefcase on the expensive maple desk, and quickly clicked open the metal locks. The top lifted open with a slight _whoosh_ of wind, and Mr. Seta carefully took out about twenty long, complicated, covered-in-small-print documents.

"Ok. So." Soujiro studied each paper for a few seconds. "This is crap, this is crap, this is crap, this is cra-oh, no, that's important, but this and this and

this…crap. Total crap." With large, dramatic movements, the six "crap" documents were crumpled up and thrown away. Megumi raised an eyebrow; she wasn't

quite comfortable with his unprofessional behavior. _Then again, he is a lawyer_, Megumi thought, shuddering.

"Here we go. This is it, everything that has to do with his three beloved daughters." Soujiro Seta ignored the snorts and the eyes rolling up to the ceiling. "He has a letter. Two, actually. One for 'Kaoru', and one for…that's funny, all it says it 'the other two'."

"That's probably ours," Misao offered helpfully, gesturing to Megumi and herself. Soujiro handed her the letter, which Misao opened up, read through quickly, and handed to Megumi. But Kaoru studied her letter for a few moments before cautiously opening the envelope.

_Kaoru- _

_Look. I know I've been a pain in the ass for as long as you've been my daughter, but we've got to come to some terms here. If you're reading this I'm probably dead (I don't mean to sound morbid, but its true), and I'm guessing you're not the least bit sad. Why should you be? I'm a bad person, and I really don't care. I've done a lot of bad shit. But here's the thing-I've had pancreatic cancer for about a year and a half. I didn't tell you about it for obvious reasons. I hoped that would be one the good things I've done, because would you really have wanted to have been burdened with that?_

_For the longest time you bitched and moaned about not knowing your sister. Well, quite frankly, it annoyed the hell outta me, so I decided to do something about it. Maybe it's not what you had planned, but nothing ever turns out like planned. For example, you. You turned out really screwed up._

_Anyway, you may hate me but you still are my daughter, so suck it up._

_Life's tough._

_So don't hate me when you hear my final wish._

_-Gakuto (daddy)_

Kaoru stared at the last sentence, butterflies forming in her stomach. Everything in this letter pointed to one answer: that son of a bitch had something bad planned. She very neatly crumpled the letter up into a ball and sent it sailing for the trash can. Kaoru looked up when Megumi did the same thing.

"Piece of crap," the doctor sneered. "Doesn't even apologize for abandoning us. Most impersonal pile of bull I've ever read in my life." Megumi clenched her teeth to keep from telling the world how she felt about her "father" and the letter he had addressed to "the other two".

Misao glanced over at her older sister. She knew that she shouldn't feel angry towards the old coot, since she never exactly met him, but for some reason she felt as if her heart had been lit on fire.

"Well. Now that we've read those touching letters, we can get on to the part everyone had been waiting for-the reading of the will. Everyone ready?" Kaoru blinked, confused. Of course she was ready. Ready to put this whole thing in the past.

"Good. Then lets get the party started."

_Two hours later_

"And finally, my collection of ancient Parcheesi sets goes to…my youngest daughter, Misao."

"Yippee for me," Misao muttered under her breath. "And I thought that the re-creation of the Guacaconga Tribal Mask made out of paperclips was a real catch." Kaoru rolled her eyes.

"You call _that _bad…remember, I'm the lucky one who gets to take home his 527 origami rattlesnakes." Kaoru sighed, thinking of all the…things she had inherited. "I don't know what I'm going to do with all this _crap_. My apartment could never hold it all."

"I'm selling everything." Megumi was still looking a bit pale after hearing about the two-hundred year old rabbit skeleton she was receiving. "If anyone's willing to buy, that is."

"Oh yeah, about that." Soujiro scanned the bottom sheet. "That isn't a possibility. At the bottom here, it says you aren't allowed to sell a thing. Or trash it. Or leave it. It has to go home with you." Misao's jaw dropped.

"No freaking way!"

"Yes freaking way, I'm afraid. That goes for the ranch, too. No selling the ranch."

"That's crazy!" Kaoru cried, the familiar hatred for her father beginning to settle in again. "How am I supposed to help take care of a ranch when I'm living across the country?"

"Calm down." Throughout all this, Megumi had remained calm. She looked up at Soujiro. "There's a way past this, isn't there?" The young lawyer grinned.

"Right you are, madam. Your father did leave a way to get out of this. There is one way to trash anything you want. And, if you choose to go by what it says here, the ranch will go to someone else. But only one way."

"What is it?" All three girls seemed to shout at the same time. The smile on Soujiro's face made each girl cringe.

"Your father's last wish."

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Kaoru felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. This couldn't be good.

But, really, could it be any worse than going home with 527 origami rattlesnakes?

"W-what…what was it?" Kaoru managed to get out in one shaky breath. She kept her eyes on the ground, afraid one of her sisters would be able to read the anxious look in her eyes.

"I keep hearing things about your father being a jackass, and basically not caring about his daughters, but his last wish seems to say something entirely different."

"Listen you freak, I don't know what you're getting at but you had better just spit it out," Misao hissed. "The suspense is killing me. And yes, that would be sarcasm right there." She wished she could slap the stupid grin off of his face. She hadn't taken those self-defense classes her senior year for nothing.

"Well, here goes nothing. Remember, don't kill the messenger."

For some odd reason, those words didn't do much to comfort Kaoru.

"Your father has written that you can only sell the ranch, and all of his junk, if you three live here-and take care of the ranch-for one year."

Silence. Soujiro looked up over the paper.

Misao's mouth hung wide open, and her eyes were practically bulging out of her head. Megumi's fists were clenched into fists, her fingernails digging into her palms. Kaoru sat, her eyes wide, utterly frozen.

Frozen, Soujiro guessed, from either complete shock or dread.

Or both.

Megumi was the first to speak.

"No." Her voice sounded firm, like she had already decided and wasn't going to change her mind. "No way in hell." Soujiro arched an eyebrow.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Of course, this means that you'll have to take home all of your…inheritance. And if you're not planning on living here, at the ranch-"

"Definitely not!"

"Then you'll have to go through the trouble of taking care of a ranch miles away…not a fun job, if I do say so myself." Soujiro paused. "On the other hand, you could just spend one measly year here, let the ranch go to someone else, trash the junk, and save yourself five years of trouble." He shrugged. "The answer is clear to me. Of course, I do consider myself an intelligent human being." Megumi gritted her teeth. How she hated lawyers.

"You can say that, because you're not the one faced with the decision." Megumi turned to the two other strangers in the room. "Does anyone else think this is complete shit?" Misao bit her lip.

"I don't want to stay here for a year. I would lose a year of my life, and I'm struggling with classes as it is…" Megumi nodded.

"Its settled then. If we have to deal with it, we will. Yes? Yes."

"No."

Megumi whirled around, glaring at Kaoru. "And why the hell not?" Kaoru glared back.

"I don't want to stay here as much as the next person, but what choice do we have? There's no way I can take care of a ranch living in New York. And while we're on that topic, as I said before, none of this junk will fit in my apartment. And you." Kaoru turned to Misao. "You said you were staying in someone else's house. How would they appreciate it if you came home with a truck full of crap to store in their house? And believe me, if you have to concentrate on taking care of a ranch while you're taking classes, you'll flunk." Finally, Kaoru turned to Megumi. "I think its clear to all of us that you want nothing to do with us. Well, same here, but still. If we agree to take care of the ranch away from home, we'll be in each other's lives for…well, the rest of our lives. If we do this, its just one year and we're done with it." Kaoru took a deep breath. "I hate it here, believe me, but it's the only logical option." Soujiro whistled in admiration.

"Very good, Miss Kaoru. Have you considered becoming a lawyer?"

Megumi bowed her head. She didn't want to accept it, but…

"She's right," Misao grumbled. "This sucks."

"So you two will stay?" Soujiro asked. The two younger sisters nodded. Soujiro glanced over at Megumi. "Of course, it only works if all three of you agree…"

"I'll do it." Megumi threw a cold look at Kaoru, making her blood boil. "I'll waste a year of my life." Soujiro yawned stretched.

"Finally. Now all I need are your signatures on these papers right here, and then you three can go home and pack." Kaoru nodded, dread spiraling up from her stomach to her head.

_This is going to be the worst year of my life._

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**Random Notes: **Sorry it took me so freaking long to update this chapter. Normally I would load you up with excuses, but guess what? I don't have any!

Ruri: Finally, she admits that the only reason it takes her so long is because she's a lazy-loser.

Nessie: Would someone remind me _why_ I am friends with you?

Ami: 'Cuz no one else can tolerate your random weird-ness!

Nessie: Oh yeah…

So, until next time, this has been Nessie: everyone's favorite super-psycho-drama-queen. Who writes in her spare time

**Hints: In the next chapter, Megumi meets up with an old friend, Misao refuses to admit she's a stalker, and Kaoru learns about bulls and cows. **

Review, my dear readers! I'll be eternally grateful, and will love you forever. Or at least for some time. 

Tootles!nessie


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